Loss of Words: Kagome's Death, and InuYasha
by RayaLoe
Summary: Kagome has saved InuYasha's life and died for it, but what happens now?


As the arrow raced toward InuYasha with the speed of a bullet and the power of an atomic bomb, Kagome seized the opportunity to leap in front of it, sparing him.

"InuYasha! Watch out!" She blocked him from the deadly arrow and was pinned to a tree, just as he had been fifty years before. It all happened so quickly that InuYasha couldn't process it. He hadn't even known he was being targeted. He spun around with panic and found another arrow flying cleanly past his head. He darted out of the way of the third arrow.

_That arrow had so much power. There's no way it could be Kikyo's?_ The hanyou thought. No, it couldn't be her. This scent was new and definitely not hers. Without a moment's hesitation, he drew Tetsusaiga and aimed the windscar in the direction of the arrows. It blew down tress and split the ground. He wasn't sure if he'd gotten the one that tried to kill him, but he couldn't pick up their scent anymore, so he knew they must be gone.

As he realized he'd forgotten something in the heat of battle, he hurriedly sheathed his sword. Kagome. He could smell her blood, and large amounts of it at that. He hadn't noticed before. He raced to the tree on which she was pinned, and with shaky hands, he pulled the arrow out. He brought her down to the ground gently and laid her on his lap.

"Dammit Kagome! What did you do that for, you should've let them hit me!" he said urgently into her ear.

"I'm sorry, InuYasha. I just couldn't…" she trailed off as her eyelids became heavy, blood draining from her lips. The pain was horrible and she could feel herself, though she didn't want to admit it, dying. Blood was leaving her so quickly and it became harder to breathe. She coughed lightly and felt it as blood sprayed her hand. It made her very scared. she didn't want to die, not at all.

"Don't talk! Just stay still, don't do anything to make it worse." He embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she said again as she felt him beginning to break. If he broke down then so would she, if that happened then that would mean it was all real.

"Don't you say that! I ain't gonna let you die here!" he couldn't bare for a single second the thought of losing Kagome. That alone was enough to push him over the edge. He was always so strong in every other subject, but when it came to Kagome, his ultimate weakness, he'd tremble at the thought of not being able to be with her.

"But…" she began again.

"Just be quiet, okay." He was losing it, every last bit of his strength with every passing second. One more minute of thinking that Kagome might die and he just might snap.

"I just wanna tell you I love you okay. I always have." She mumbled, and InuYasha almost couldn't make it out. He brought her closer to him.

"Yeah, Kagome. Yeah." it was the only thing he could handle to say. Even with how much he wanted to tell her that he loved her too, so, so much, saying that would be saying goodbye. He just couldn't say goodbye, couldn't let go. He would never let go. But he brought his lips down on hers for one gentle kiss. Kagome's face became even paler and her hands became cold. She fell limp and no longer could InuYasha feel her heart.

He squeezed her tightly in despair. The necklace of subjugation which he could never remove fell to pieces and bounced into the grass before each bead turned to dust. That's when he knew that it was over, that she must be gone. He tightened his grasp on her and hugged her like doing so would bring her back to life. Tears brimmed over for the first time in his life, and they came fast and hard, staining Kagome's blouse along with her blood.

They stopped just long enough to haul her back to Kaede's village. There, she was laid on a mat inside a hut, ready for burial. Sango and Miroku were so shocked they almost couldn't mutter a word, and after Sango lost her entire village, she didn't want to think of losing her best friend too, and tried to ignore it as best as she could. Shippo was in a state of depression. And as for InuYasha, he was destroyed. Every last cell in his body could feel the pain of loss, and with every heartbeat it reverberated throughout his entire body. And though he tried not to let everyone see his misery, it was hard to not notice it.

The night before Kagome's burial, InuYasha snuck into the hut to see her face one last time and say his goodbyes before her beauty was put into the ground and covered with dirt for all of eternity. Before her floral scent was gone completely. He knew that, after tomorrow, he'd leave Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and everyone else. He'd leave this village and never come back, never to be reminded of his pain every time he'd walk past Kagome's grave.

InuYasha kneeled by the motionless Kagome and held her ice-cold hand. Her precious blood had been spilled because he wasn't paying attention. He was at fault and nothing anyone could say would change his mind about that.

"I've always loved you too, Kagome." He whispered with a softness he'd never used before.

Suddenly he felt warm and as he opened his eyes he caught a glimpse of a pink light shining under her blouse, just above her heart. And he remembered the Shikon Jewel. They must've forgotten to take it off of her. The light seemed to be absorbed right into Kagome and she pulsed with the radiant light. Pink flooded up into her cheeks as her body continued to pulse. Her eyes fluttered open and InuYasha could feel her heart beating, could smell her sweet scent, it being no longer tinted with decay. He got a good look at the Jewel, which had gone black. The purity of it had saved Kagome and brought her back to him.

"InuYasha?" she croaked with a dry throat. Quickly he gathered her up in his arms and rushed from the hut and to Kaede.

"She's okay and fully healed, what with the power of the Shikon Jewel that is what's to be expected." Kaede concluded after giving Kagome some water and a thorough inspection.

"How do you think this happened? I don't understand it, I didn't even know the Jewel was there." He asked as Kagome fell back asleep.

"I suspect, when ye went to the hut, ye did or said something that the Jewel picked up on and it sensed your wish, also sensing that the wish came from the purity of your heart. Ye must have been wishing that Kagome wasn't dead, weren't ye, InuYasha? Or possibly a more powerful thought which I need not mention." relief flooded over him. When he didn't answer, Kaede said, "I'll be outside to tell the others of this amazing news." She smiled and went out the door.

InuYasha hugged onto the sleeping Kagome the entire night, as to make sure she didn't stop breathing at any second. Kagome had never recalled him being so gentle or kind, maybe her death had really done InuYasha horribly, but now that she was back, she felt like he was never going to let her go again. It all felt like one huge dream, like she'd been asleep for a few days, but she could've sworn that in sed dream InuYasha told her he loved her. It seemed so real when he said it and when she woke he was there, holding her hand. She assembled her thoughts and speculated that maybe he'd said it while she was "asleep". After that she no longer had any doubt in mind that InuYasha loved her because his actions said it all.

Kagome snuggled into InuYasha's chest sleepily, and when he responded by wrapping his arms more snugly around her, she found comfort, warmth, and protection. Along with the one powerful thought that need not mentioning.


End file.
